Are You Hopeful Or Hopeless? Pastor Stephenie Shanks

Devotional

Day 1: Anchored in Unseen Promises

The disciples huddled in a locked room, fear tightening their chests. Then Jesus stood among them, scars visible, broiled fish in hand. He proved resurrection wasn’t abstract—it was flesh and bone. Faith, like those nail-marked hands, grips what eyes can’t yet see. Just as Hebrews 11:1 calls faith the “title deed” to God’s promises, hope plants its flag in territory yet conquered. [29:07]

Without hope, faith has nothing to substantiate. The woman with the issue of blood didn’t just want healing—she hoped Jesus’ cloak held power. Her hope gave faith direction, turning a crowd’s press into divine contact. Jesus still responds to hope-fueled faith.

What promise feels distant to you? Write it down as if drafting a legal document. Where might you be acting faithless because hope has dimmed?

“Faith is the assurance (the confirmation, the title deed) of the things [we] hope for, being the proof of things [we] do not see and the conviction of their reality [faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses].”
(Hebrews 11:1, AMP)

Prayer: Ask Jesus to reignite hope for one specific promise you’ve stopped discussing.
Challenge: Write “TITLE DEED” atop a paper listing three God-promises you’ll actively hope for this week.

Day 2: When Desire Becomes a Tree

Proverbs 13:12 paints hope deferred as a wasting disease—the Israelites knew this in Babylon’s exile. For seventy years, they recited Jeremiah’s letter: “Build houses. Plant gardens.” Their daily acts of normalcy became hope’s scaffolding. God’s delays aren’t cancellations. [34:41]

Abraham’s 24-year wait for Isaac mirrors our modern tensions—retirement funds shrinking, adult children straying. Yet delayed hope, when rooted in God’s character, eventually bears fruit. The sycamore Zacchaeus climbed started as a seed; our endurance plants orchards.

What “normal” task can you do today as an act of hope? When did a past delay later reveal purpose?

“Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but when the desire is fulfilled, it is a tree of life.”
(Proverbs 13:12, AMP)

Prayer: Confess one deferred hope to God, then thank Him for three past prayers He answered.
Challenge: Text a friend: “What’s one thing you’re hoping for? I’ll pray it with you this week.”

Day 3: David’s Choice in the Ashes

David’s men wept, their families taken captive. Ashen ruins surrounded them. Yet “he encouraged himself in the Lord” (1 Samuel 30:6)—not in strategies or pep talks. He recalled lion fights, Goliath’s fall, and God’s faithfulness. Memory became his weapon. [44:27]

Like David, we combat despair by recounting God’s track record. The Israelites built Ebenezers—stones of remembrance. Jesus told the disciples, “Remember how I broke the loaves.” Our darkest hours demand litanies of past deliverance.

Which “Ebenezer moment” have you forgotten? What Ziklag-like loss tempts you to abandon hope?

“David encouraged himself in the Lord his God.”
(1 Samuel 30:6, KJV)

Prayer: List five times God provided unexpectedly. Pray them aloud as declarations.
Challenge: Set a phone reminder at 3 PM today to recite Psalm 103:2: “Forget not all His benefits.”

Day 4: The Stout Heart’s Expectation

The psalmist asks, “What would have become of me?” if he’d stopped expecting God’s goodness. Paul, chained in Rome, wrote joy-filled letters. Both chose “stout hearts”—not denial of pain, but defiance against despair. Courage isn’t fear’s absence but its master. [53:38]

Joshua needed courage to claim Canaan; you need it to face medical scans or empty nests. A stout heart isn’t stiff—it’s flexible, trusting God’s grip more than circumstances’ weight.

What fear have you let override hope? How would today change if you expected God’s goodness?

“What would have become of me had I not believed that I would see the Lord’s goodness in the land of the living!”
(Psalm 27:13, AMP)

Prayer: Ask God for courage to hope boldly about one situation where you’ve defaulted to pessimism.
Challenge: Write “I WILL SEE GOD’S GOODNESS” on your bathroom mirror with a dry-erase marker.

Day 5: The Threefold “I Will Not”

Hebrews 13:5 thunders God’s promise with triple negatives: “I will never [no, never] fail you.” Greek grammar experts note this is the strongest possible denial—like God shouting through prison walls to Paul. Our hope rests on divine stubbornness: He refuses to abandon us. [01:05:01]

Social security falters. Retirement accounts dip. But the One who fed Elijah via ravens and paid taxes via fish mouths remains solvent. His oath-bound loyalty outlasts markets, governments, and pandemics.

Where have you placed secondary hopes that crumbled? How would clinging to God’s “I will not” change your week?

“I will not in any way fail you nor give you up nor leave you without support. [I will] not, [I will] not, [I will] not in any degree leave you helpless nor forsake nor let you down!”
(Hebrews 13:5, AMP)

Prayer: Thank God for three specific ways He’s supported you this month.
Challenge: Share Hebrews 13:5 with someone anxious about finances, health, or family—then pray together.

Sermon Summary

We live under constant pressure from illness, economy, culture, and uncertainty, and we must choose whether to be hopeful or hopeless. We define hope as the expectation of good and the seed that faith transforms into visible reality. Faith needs something to hold to; hope supplies that substance so faith can act. When we anchor hope in God’s promises and unchanging character, our souls gain stability, courage, and endurance even when circumstances worsen or delays test us.

Hope faces real enemies, especially delay and repeated disappointment, which can make our hearts sick. Time and setbacks often deepen the trial, but forgetting God’s past faithfulness feeds despair. We must intentionally remember God’s benefits, rehearse past deliverances, and refocus on the promised end rather than current darkness. Practical steps keep hope alive: stir up faith through Scripture, surround ourselves with supportive people, cultivate daily habits of remembering, and practice courage as endurance, not the absence of fear.

Scripture anchors hope in God’s nature. Hebrews calls hope the anchor of the soul; Jeremiah and the Psalms remind us God plans for our welfare and works in the land of the living. Biblical names of God show reliable help: God fights, heals, provides, shepherds, and remains present. Nothing proves too hard for God, so we wait actively and expectantly, not passively. Contentment and gratitude guard against greedy hope placed in unstable resources like wealth, retirement, or government programs.

History of faith models show how hope works: Abraham waited decades but received the promise; David encouraged himself in the Lord when all external support failed; Paul wrote letters of hope from prison. Sudden turnarounds sometimes arrive when we least expect them, but we only position ourselves for those reversals by holding fast to hope and doing what faith requires in the meantime. We commit to keep our hope rooted in God’s character, to rehearse his past faithfulness, to practice endurance, and to expect the Lord’s goodness in the land of the living.

Key Takeaways

1. Hope anchors our souls We secure our inner life when we place hope in God’s promises rather than in shifting circumstances. That anchor steadies mind, will, and emotions through storms and delays, giving us a platform for faithful action instead of paralysis. Anchored hope reframes setbacks as temporary and allows perseverance to produce spiritual maturity. [32:07]
2. Remember God’s past faithfulness We counter heart sickness by recounting specific instances when God provided, healed, or redirected our path. Memory of mercy renews trust and rewires expectation away from despair toward expectancy. Practicing gratitude for past deliverance fuels patience for present delays. [36:52]
3. Courage sustains active waiting Courage does not remove fear; it orders our response so we keep moving toward God despite it. Waiting with courage means daily choices to rehearse promises, pray, and act on small faithful steps. This steady courage prepares us to receive God’s timing and sudden reversals. [53:20]
4. Hope resists misplaced securities When we invest hope in money, programs, or status, we invite collapse because those things can vanish. Rooting hope in Jehovah who provides, heals, and fights keeps expectation realistic and resilient. Contentment and gratitude guard our hearts while we trust God’s providence. [64:22]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[23:38] - Pressures Within and Without
[25:07] - Are We Hopeful Or Hopeless
[27:35] - Defining Hope
[29:07] - Faith As Substance Of Hope
[32:07] - Hope As Anchor Of The Soul
[34:24] - Enemy Of Hope: Delay
[36:52] - Remembering God’s Benefits
[44:27] - David Encouraged Himself In The Lord
[49:00] - Sudden Turnarounds Happen
[53:20] - Wait And Hope For The Lord
[64:22] - Contentment And God’s Promise

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading
Hebrews 11:1 (NKJV)
“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”

Psalm 27:13-14 (NKJV)
“I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait on the Lord; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; wait, I say, on the Lord!”

Jeremiah 29:11 (NKJV)
“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.”

Observation questions

What does Hebrews 11:1 say faith requires in order to act? How does this connect to the idea of hope as an “anchor” for the soul?
Psalm 27:14 links waiting on God with courage. What specific actions does the passage associate with waiting actively?
In the sermon, what practical steps were suggested to combat “heart sickness” caused by delayed hopes? [36:52]

Interpretation questions

Why might “hope deferred” (Proverbs 13:12) lead to despair even when we know God’s promises? How does time test our ability to trust His character?
The sermon emphasized that “courage is not the absence of fear, but the mastery of it” [55:27]. How does Psalm 27:13-14 redefine what it means to be courageous in seasons of waiting?
Jeremiah 29:11 was written to people in exile. How might God’s promise of a “future and a hope” apply to modern struggles like financial insecurity or family brokenness?

Application questions

Identify one area where you’ve felt “heart sickness” from delayed hopes. What specific promise of God (or past example of His faithfulness) can you rehearse daily to reframe this struggle? [36:52]
Psalm 27:14 commands us to “wait and hope” actively. What small, faithful step (e.g., prayer, serving others, journaling gratitude) could you take this week to practice courage in your waiting?
The sermon warned against placing hope in unstable resources like money or retirement plans [52:03]. What practical habit (e.g., financial giving, limiting worry-driven planning) could help you root hope more deeply in God’s provision?
How could you intentionally surround yourself with “supportive people” who encourage hope when delays or setbacks arise? What relationships might need boundaries to protect against negativity? [46:20]
Abraham waited 24 years for Isaac, yet God’s timing brought fulfillment. Is there a long-term prayer or desire where you’ve struggled to maintain expectancy? How might shifting focus from the “dark tunnel” to the “sudden turnaround” change your perspective? [49:00]

Sermon Clips

So we have to remind ourselves. We have to stir up our own faith. We have to keep our hope alive by refocusing, refocusing on the promises and mainly the character of God. You have to remember who he is. He is not a man that he should lie. He is no respecter of persons. What he has done for one, he'll do for you. If he healed somebody else, he's willing to heal you. [00:45:04] (34 seconds) #RefocusOnHisPromises

So how can you have faith if you don't have hope? Because what does substance mean? Substance means the physical matter, the wherewithal, the thing that faith is going to take in order to make it a reality. And then it becomes faith then becomes your assurance, your title deed of the things that are not seen. Right? But if you don't have hope, you can't have faith. Amen? [00:29:30] (30 seconds) #HopeBuildsFaith

Now you would think, maybe he would have become hopeless because Paul was a missionary, he was an apostle, he wanted to be out preaching the word of God, but now he was prevented from doing that. So what did he do instead? He took up a pen and a piece of paper and started writing. Sometimes we have to do that too. Sometimes we have to say, okay, I can't do this here, but what can I do to keep my hope and my faith alive? [01:03:17] (30 seconds) #KeepHopeActive

But you can't look at the circumstances. Let that hope along with your faith be the anchor for your soul, for your mind, for your will, and for your emotions because all these things are gonna come. The enemy knows what you're hoping for because you've said it out loud. He knows what you're believing for and he's gonna send every opposition and lie he possibly can to make you get off that hope and faith. [00:42:01] (36 seconds) #AnchorYourSoul

You might have that child call you and say, you know, the Lord spoke to me in my dream last night and I gave my heart over to him and you go, what? Sudden things can happen and strangely enough, he doesn't need us always to make these things happen. He just needs us to have hope and faith that they will happen. Let that hope anchor your soul. [00:50:30] (26 seconds) #ExpectBreakthroughs

God is in control of everything. God is in control of everything. Nothing is too great for god. So we have to remember that. So Jeremiah twenty nine eleven tells us, we all know this scripture. For I know the thoughts and plans that I have for you, says the lord. Thoughts and plans for welfare and peace and not for evil to give you what? Hope in your final outcome. [00:58:22] (31 seconds) #GodHasAPlan

So in order for us to really be able to maintain our hope and our faith, we have to have courage. You know, when Joshua took over the role of leading the Israelites into the promised land over and over and over in that first chapter of Joshua. The Lord says to him, be strong and of good courage. Be strong and of good courage. Now, the hope was set in them because where were they going? They were going into the promised land. That was the promise. [00:55:49] (36 seconds) #BeStrongAndCourageous

We have to remember that a sudden good break can turn life around. Mark and I were in a terrible financial situation many years ago, and you've probably heard this term before, this description, we were looking down this dark tunnel and didn't see a way out. Anybody ever been in that experience? Right? And you're looking at it, all you're seeing is dark, dark, dark. God sent over people to bless us. People showed up with groceries that hadn't we hadn't talked to in years. [00:48:53] (39 seconds) #UnexpectedProvision

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